A Lonely Road
by ZexionLover411
Summary: Clara and Melinda Kingsley get a call from a man telling them that their grandmother, whom they'd never met, mysteriously died and had left them her entire estate in Holmes Chapel, England. During a Halloween party, a strange voice lures them into the woods away from their world and down a lonely road. (Rewritten as Daughter of Starlight)
1. Prologue

_**A Lonely Road **_

* * *

_**A/N: This story was co-writen by me(ZexionLover411) and my friend Jordan Chatfield(on Wattpad). Jordan write mostly Melinda's parts and I write Clara's. This story is in 3rd person. Later on in the story the pov will switch between the two women. If Melinda starts a chapter Clara will end it then Clara will start the next and so on. **_

_**Summary: **_Clara and Melinda Kingsley get a call from a man telling them that their grandmother, whom they'd never met, mysteriously died and had left them her entire estate in Holmes Chapel, England. During a Halloween party, a strange voice lures them into the woods away from their world and down a lonely road.

* * *

_**\- Prologue-**_

"Seriously, I _hate_ planes," Melinda complained to her sister, Clara, as she moved a lock of golden hair from her face.

"Well it's not like we can drive there." Clara said matter-of-factly as they walked through the terminal.

"We've never even met this woman." Melinda huffed as she put her four bags down. She took her little silver clutch from under her arm before putting her hands on her hips. Clara stopped walking and rolled her eyes before turning to the younger girl. "My feet are _killing_ me."

"I wonder why." Clara muttered looking down at the metallic silver heels before looking down at her own black converse. Clara was used to her sister's whining by now. "Shut up and deal with it, Mel."

"Bitch." Melinda huffed under her breath. "Look, all I'm saying is that this house is probably a little ranch that needs to be torn down...so _why_ are we going to see it?"

"Because Ramsey wanted us to look at it."

"That's another thing; we don't even know this guy!"

"Look, it's been in the family for a long time and besides it's in England. Think of it as a mini vacation." Clara said. Melinda huffed again.

"Let's just get on the stupid plane." Melinda said before picking up her bags again and walking ahead. As she walked her hips swayed elegantly in her black, form fitting pencil skirt. She had on a white flowy top that was tucked into the skirt, held together by a black and gold belt. Her golden hair was down and came to about the top of her buttocks. Clara shook her head and walked after her.

* * *

They got settled in their seats on the plane, Clara by the window and Melinda in the middle seat. Melinda sighed over-dramatically and sat back in her seat as she smoothed out her skirt. Clara pulled her IPod out of her jeans and put in her ear buds before pulling her green hood up and crossing her arms. A woman sat in the seat next to Melinda, who gave the woman a once over before making a face and moving closer to Clara.

* * *

They had gotten a call about a week earlier from an unknown number. Usually they wouldn't have answered but something drew them to the phone. The call was from their Grandmother's friend, Ramsey, in England, saying that the woman had unfortunately fallen down a flight of stairs and had sadly died. Now, neither of the girls had met this woman but were persuaded by the friend to come look at the home to decide what to do with it. Melinda wanted to sell it right away but Clara, the wiser of the two, - though Melinda would argue - thought it best to at least go look. Melinda had reluctantly agreed and they'd packed their things before getting on a plane, despite Melinda's protests.

* * *

**Next Chapter will be longer, this was only a prologue so that's why it was so short. Can't wait to post more. **

**Thank you for reading.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: We do not own Lord of the Rings, its characters, plot or anything else to do with it. We own our OCs, changes and anything else we add. **

**This story is also on Archive of our own under the penname: CrimsonAdri and on Wattpad under the name: Jordan Chatfield**

* * *

**-Chapter 1-**

A black limo pulled up to a massive, over-exaggerated gate. Melinda raised her eyebrows and smirked as the gates opened.

"Well, this is interesting." She snickered as they pulled into the driveway which was made of white pebbles. On each side of the driveway, evenly placed cherry trees were in full bloom. The driveway way was rather long and at the end of it was a large marble fountain. Then, there it was, the "little house" that Melinda had pictured. To put it simply it was a castle, a renaissance chateau.

There were over 50 windows on the front of the building alone. There were many towers and the main part of the castle had three floors with an extra floor for each tower. It was white with grey roofing and gold trim. The grass was freshly mowed and the hedges were neatly trimmed. Everything was unrealistically green and beautiful. Melinda let out a scream and ran out of the parked limo.

"Sweet Mary, mother of fucks this is so….ahhhhh!" She said running into the castle. Her metallic silver heels clicked on the marble tile that led into the castle. She opened the two overly sized, elaborate doors to go in. She stopped running and walked into the foyer. "Sweet…"

"Mary" A voice called from a nearby door. Melinda turned to that direction to see a beautiful man. He was tall, tan and had the perfect amount of stubble.

"Huh..." She gave him a onceover. He was wiping a decorative dish off with a towel and carefully set it down on a nearby end table that was against the wall and walked over to her, wiping his hands on his trousers.

"I'm Hunter, and um welcome to...your home?" He questioned her with a half smile holding out his hand. She walked elegantly to him and shook his hand. "Would you like a tour? I mean, I know there's two of yo-" He said leaning to look out the doors.

"Oh she's not important," Melinda said waving her hand dismissively. "I'd love a tour." She said, exposing her pearly whites.

"Alright." He looked at her with a puzzled smile. They made their way to the right part of the castle.

* * *

Clara climbed out of the limo, much quieter than her sister. As she did she pulled down the dark green hood of her jacket, letting her blond hair, which was a bit darker than Melinda's, flow down a little past her shoulder blades. She stared at the tremendous castle before her. Her eyebrows were as high as they could go and her jaw hung open slightly.

"Damn." She breathed. Clara blinked before running in after her sister. Clara's sneakers squeaked as she came to a sudden stop inside. The sound echoed off the walls of the large foyer. She looked around and realized her sister was nowhere in sight. "Mel?" She called. "Goddamn it Mel…" She said with a sigh. She looked around before walking up the large stairs in the middle of the room.

* * *

"How long have you been a servant here, Mark?" Melinda asked, deliberately getting his name wrong, as the two walked at a slow pace.

"It's Hunter and since I was young. Also, we prefer the term Helper." He said trying not laugh. They both walked slowly down the main hallway which had white tiled flooring and pale-yellow coloured walls. Melinda's hands both were on her clutch that she had placed in her lap. The only sound was the talking and her heels.

"And how many people work here, to be exact?" Melinda asked, now out of genuine curiosity.

"About 30."

"About isn't very exact." Melinda chuckled. "Now does your girlfriend work here, too?"

"She did." He admitted. That was sensitive subject for Hunter.

"Did? Oh, was she a thief?" Melinda asked with an unamused expression.

"No she...she uhh well she died, actually." He said pressing his lips together and looking down. Melinda's eyes went wide and she stopped dead in her tracks. She clenched her eyes shut and turned towards him.

"I am so sorry, I should never have said anything-" She tried to apologize

"It's fine, it was a freak accident." He said as he kept walking. Melinda looked at him and opened her mouth to speak,

"She didn't...you know...here, did she?" She asked with a serious frown as she jogged to keep up with him.

Overhead on a balcony, Ramsey, the oldest butler, was looking over them. He did not seem impressed with the youngest of the new a huff, he turned around and disappearing into a dark room.

* * *

Clara walked through a long wooden floored hallway. The high pale-yellow coloured walls had many paintings and old fashioned lantern-like lights. The windows, which had silky drapes that matched the walls, filled the hall with light. Clara looked out one of the windows; the landscape was so beautiful and breathtaking, she could see on for miles. She continued walking down another hall before she decided to finally enter one of the rooms. She turned the golden handle and the door to be unlocked. She slowly entered the room, peeking her head inside.

"Oh Mel would love this." She said quietly. Inside the room were many of those old fashioned mannequins with just the upper half of the body and wire on the bottom to help the clothes keep shape. On them were many elegant gowns and dresses, along with matching shoes on the floor beside them. There was a desk in the corner with an assortment of threads next to a sewing machine and a stack of fabrics on the floor next to the desk.

Clara walked deeper into the room and went up to a black gown. It reached the floor and the sleeves stopped at the elbows but had navy draping sleeves with a bit of black lace at the top. Clara gently touched the sleeves and let the soft fabric slip from her hand as she heard the door open behind her. She turned around to see Melinda and Hunter in the doorway.

"Oh." Melinda said a bit startled by her sister. "Clara this is Hunter, he's a butler." She said with a serious tone.

"Um, hello." Clara said walking over. "Nice to meet you, I'm Clara." She said with a polite smile. Melinda gave Clara the evil eye - making sure Clara knew that she had called dibs - to which Clara rolled her eyes.

"I see you found the gown room." Hunter said. "You grandmother kinda collected all of these." He said with a smile. Next to him, Melinda's eyes were wide and her mouth was open. She pushed past them both and began to touch all of the gowns. One caught her eye in particular. Clara had a knowing smile on her face. Melinda ran her hands over the soft fabric. The gown was floor-length and was pale lavender and had a darker lavender bottom. Around the waist was a salmon coloured wrap.

"Well, um, your room is next door, Melinda. Yours is next to hers, Clara." He said motioning at the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have to prepare lunch." He said with a bow of his head. Melinda looked at her sister and squealed. She ran to her bedroom and opened the massive door. Her mouth dropped; the room was huge. It was a green color and had a white marble fireplace. The floors were a dark cherry wood and had several white carpets spread out. The bed was a king sized with white bedding and a matching canopy. She walked in slowly, throwing her clutch onto a Victorian styled, claw footed, couch.

"This is going to be fun." She said to herself.

* * *

Clara walked down the hall and entered her room. The room was quite large with a blue and white theme. There was one massive white, round rug in the center of the room over wood flooring. On it was a light blue couch and the bottom half of her large bed which had an unnecessary amount of small pillows on it. Clara walked forward and let herself fall back on the bed with a sigh. She stared up at the ceiling and a smirk found its way to her face.

* * *

**Sorry this took forever.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, its characters, plot or anything else to do with it. I own my OC Clara and my friend owns his. We also own any other OCs, changes and anything else we added. **

**_IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE_****:**** So my friend doesn't wanna do this story anymore, But I do and I've already written most of Clara's parts. But there are still some scenes written by my friend in this that haven't been posted yet. **

**ALSO: I'm going to be making Melinda's part of the story it's own story. (It'll have the first few chapters of this one but it'll go to Melinda's pov instead of Clara's.) And since I'm writing Melinda instead of my friend it may seem different but I'll do my best to keep her how he made her. **

**All Melinda's things and Horse stuff is written by my friend. **

**SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER**

* * *

The moon was reflecting off the lake behind the mansion making the surrounding area brighter than it should've been at the time of night. The back lawn was illuminated by the lights shining out through the windows.

Melinda stood in the dining room, wine glass in hand. The room, like most in the mansion, was way too large for Clara's liking but Melinda didn't mind it one bit. The back wall was a floor to ceiling window, and the walls were adorned with large paintings. Melinda stared at one of the old paintings. There was an elaborate mirror with a gold trim beside it. Her cream form fitting dress hugged her body elegantly, accessorized by a black belt. She had on white pointed-toe stilettos.

Melinda glanced at the mirror and smiled at her reflection before looking back at the painting and taking a sip of wine. An older maid walked into the room with cleaning supplies. Melinda turned to her and cleared her throat. The maid looked at her and her eyes widened. Melinda put on a smile.

"If you could clean another time that would be great." Melinda said before turning back to look at the painting. The maid raised a shaky pointing hand towards Melinda.

"You…" Melinda turned her head and raised an eyebrow at the woman. "Why do you have that?" Melinda looked at the wine class thinking that's what the woman was talking about.

"I may drink in my own home." Melinda said. "Now if you could leave." Melinda made a shooing motion with her empty hand.

"Why do you have that?!" The woman repeated, louder.

"I think you should leave now if you want to keep this job." Melinda said and turned away once more. Suddenly the woman came over and grabbed her. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Melinda screeched. She dropped her glass as she started to fend off the woman who desperately tried to grab Melinda's necklace.

"That's not yours!" she screamed. "You're not supposed to have that!"

"RAMSEY!" Melinda shouted. The man entered the room within seconds after hearing his name. Without instruction he pulled the old maid off and restrained her as she struggled violently. Melinda huffed and straightened out her clothes and hair. "Please remove her from the premises and make sure her things follow her. And get someone to clean up this mess." She said looking down at the broken glass and spilt wine.

"Right away mistress."

"You shouldn't have that!" That woman screamed as Ramsey dragged her out of the room. "Not you! You shouldn't have that!" Melinda frowned as the woman's screams echoed.

"Crazy bitch." Melinda muttered.

* * *

Melinda rolled over and let out a sigh of annoyance. She hated waking up in the morning. Sitting up, she stretched her arm and yawned, rubbing her messy hair. She slid out from under her french silk sheets and grabbed her dressing robe. As she made her way to the bathroom a thought came to her. Her head whipped up and her eyes went wide.

"It's almost Hallo-fucking-ween." She smiled and turned on the shower. Her iPhone 5s sat on a shelf in the shower and blasted Stolen Dance.

…

After her refreshing shower, she made her way to the closet where she took out her tailored sportsman full seat riding pants and an Antares pink polo. This morning seemed like a good day to ride, she thought to herself sliding the black belt through the belt loops. She zipped up her Perlantis tall boots and grabbed her gloves and custom samshield helmet and walked out the door, to the stables where she met with Hunter who was grooming her horse.

Melinda's horse was a very lovely A-circuit Belgian Warmblood gelding named Tornado. She knew most disciplines, but jumping was her favorite. She had gone up to Prix St. George in Dressage and had completed in the Maclay Finals when she was 16.

Melinda walked up to Hunter.

"Good Morning." He greeted.

"Good Morning." Melinda smiled back.

* * *

Melinda gave a light squeeze to the gelding to keep him walking. There were eight fences in the ring, all set up in a great order that would let her practice sufficiently.

"Trot." she demanded as she gave him a gentle kick with her spurs. He broke immediately into the trot. Spurs were a good option for this horse, he wouldn't go otherwise. Her body posted to the rhythm of the trot wonderfully. She had a dressage whip in her right hand, just in case something were to happen.

They trotted for about 15 minutes and she bent him in the corner and barely moved her outside leg, he broke into the canter. He was a whisper canterer, that's how she trained him. Her hips and hands followed steadily with the three beated gate. She had always gotten in the 90s when she went to shows based on her equitation. She let out a click with her tongue to ensure that he would keep going.

As she approached the corner, she would having him go across the ring diagonally. She let in a half halt with her core muscles and asked him to change his leads with her left leg. His flying leads were great, he was very well trained. The fences were all set to four feet. As she approached the first fence, she kept him going; one thing she hated was when a horse refused to go over the fence. She got into her jump position just in time and he cleared it beautifully. She stayed in her half seat and cantered him a lap, her core burning from the muscle usage.

She approached the second fence, she sat down and prepared for the jump position, she always sat as she went to a fence. It was the way she was taught. Cleared it. She cantered to the end of the ring where the horse reared up and began to buck. Melinda remained calm and yanked on the reins. He stopped and stood and she turned her head to the side of the ring with fire in her eyes. Ramsey was there standing watching her.

"I have come to warn the Mistress of the house, to not go into the woods." He said emotionlessly.

"You scared my horse, go away!" She screamed.

"As you wish." He said leaving. Melinda rolled her eyes and gave the horse a light squeeze he began to walk forward. How dare he scare her horse like that.

After a few minutes she brought Tornado back to the canter and cantered him over the area where he had freaked out. She sat in the saddle as she did, her heels going down more than usual, just in case. One thing about this horse was that if he did something and got away with it, he'd keep doing it. He let out a major buck, she took her whip and hit him in the rear as hard as she could.

"Excuse me! I fucking dare you!" She shouted as he reared up. He was enjoying this. She whacked him again and he bolted. Going around the ring at a full gallop. She tightened her core and brought her reins back his head shot up and he stopped immediately. "I think you should do that again, don't you?" She hissed at him. He stood with his ears forward as if to say 'Huehuehue'. She would not let him end with that, it was very rude of him.

She brought him back to a steady trot and after he was cool, she brought him to a canter. She did a few flying lead changes and then she let him walk and cool out. He was fine, just a little too happy. She looked at Clara and Hunter who had been watching the whole time in a state of shock. She smiled and got off, grabbing the horse and walking him to the stable, giving Hunter a passionate kiss on the way in while Clara awkwardly cleared her throat. As she put the gelding on crossties and took the saddle off, Hunter and Clara came in.

"What was that all about?" Hunter asked looking towards the door of the barn.

"Creepy asshole scared the shit out of my horse." Melinda mumbled to Hunter.

"Need me to go talk to him?" Hunter asked.

"No, he may be creepy but he's good at his job otherwise." she said. Hunter agreed diligently and walked back to the castle to get his riding stuff on and fetch Clara. He wasn't half the rider that Melinda was, in fact, neither was Clara.

Melinda grabbed a different horse, considering her gelding had quite the workout, and tacked him up. This horse was just as nice as Tornado, but he never made it to A-Circuit. He was a lovely white arabian horse who had been a gift from a previous lover of hers. His name was Sporty. She tacked him up in a black saddle pad and a black, Adam Ellis, had a lovely trail ride, getting back just before the stroke of six P.M. Neither Clara or Melinda could believe the vastness of the trails.

* * *

Since it was almost Halloween, and since Melinda liked to go all out, they would have two parties. The first party was the day before Halloween and started two hours before midnight, technically both parties were on Halloween but one was in the very early morning and the other was at night. Which left time for the staff to clean up from the first party and set up for the second one during the day.

Melinda walked to her wardrobe and pulled out her red Edwardian dinner gown. The bust had black embroidery and right below the bust a lace train went down and dragged on the ground about a foot. The train met in the front and towards the bottom of the gown black beads dangled. Melinda grabbed the gown and set it on her bed. She grabbed the black undergown and her corset and slid the undergown on. If she had decided to just wear the underdress it would have been elegant enough, but she wanted to go all out. Brush in hand, she sat down at her vanity immediately texting her sister asking her to come and help her with her corset.

…

Clara looked at her phone and rolled her eyes. She got up with a huff and made her way to her younger sister's room. She didn't understand why Melinda had to go all out every single year. It was obnoxious. She opened her sister's door and looked at the red and black gown that was on the bed.

"Really?" Clara questioned raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, it was in the closet so I might as well." Melinda said looking at her sister through the mirror.

"Yeah you might as well." Clara muttered rolling her eyes slightly.

"Anywho, I need you to lace me up." Melinda said as she eloquently walked to the bed and picked up the black corset. Clara walked over with a slight sigh.

"You didn't have to text me ya know, I'm in the next room." Clara said as she took the corset in hand and placed it around Melinda's chest. She took the strings and began to weave them around in the metal clasps, yanking on them to make it tight. Melinda winced with pain as her sister laced it up.

"Corsets are a bitch." Melinda whined. It was rather tight on her but no matter, it would do the job. The corset was actually an underbust. Once the corset was on it was time for the main piece. Melinda stepped into the gown and pulled it up. The top of the gown had just the perfect amount of fabric to cover her breasts and still show an acceptable amount of cleavage underneath a thin lace that went right up to the beginning of the cleavage. The sleeves were red like the gown and had some lace on them as well. The train itself was only attached to right below the bust and met in the front by a bead about halfway down her legs, that went down further in the back and dragged a very nice distance on the ground. Clara laced the back of the gown up for Melinda then proceeded to sit on the bed while Melinda walked to her vanity and began to brush her hair. "Do me a favor and pass me those shoes please?" Melinda asked as she experimented with her hair.

"I'm not the maid" Clara rolled her eyes, grabbing the shoes and placing them by her. Melinda slid her stocking covered feet into the shoes and bent down to lace them up, wincing at the tightness of the corset. The boots matched the dress. They had a four inch heel and had black embroidery in the shape of flowers. Clara relaxed on the bed, watching her sister as she put her hair up into a neat, curly updo. She grabbed her red lipstick and carefully applied it, along with black eyeliner that she winged. She put in a black jewel flower hair pin into her hair for a little accessory and added the necklace she had found and silver chandelier earrings. She thought that the red would clash with the silver but it actually added made her eyes pop. Lastly, she grabbed her black gloves and put them on one at a time. The gloves were silk and went a little past her elbow. She stood up and there was a knock on the door, followed by Hunter walking in dressed in his Edwardian garb to match hers. His was a simple black suit with white accessories. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows, smiling a bit.

"Clara shouldn't you be getting ready?" Melinda asked without looking at her sister. Clara rolled her eyes and left the room.

* * *

**Most of this was written by my friend. Next one should be out soon, just need to do some touch ups. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, its characters, plot or anything else to do with it. I own my OC Clara and my friend owns his (Melinda and Hunter). I also own any other OCs, changes and anything else I added. **

* * *

Clara could barely hear herself think in the semi-crowded ballroom. A plethora of ghouls, witches, and vampires danced and mingled in the low light from the many candelabras and the crystal chandelier that loomed over them room. The ballroom was decorated in oranges, purples and black, fake spider webs and jack-o-lanterns. The back wall was completely made of windows and lined with doors leading out to a large balcony looking out over a large pond. Stairs were connected to the end of the balcony and ended a few yards from the lake; beyond the pond was a dense forest that looked sinister in the moonlight.

Clara was wearing a short blue dress from the dress room she'd found the day of her and her sister's arrival. It had been three months since the two started living in their new home. They'd started at Cambridge the week after their first day in England and Melinda had no problem making friends and quickly became popular. Clara on the other hand had only had a small group of close friends. She, unlike her sister, still kept in contact with her friends from Quantico.

Hunter and Melinda were center stage. She was wearing her red Edwardian dinner gown. Her blonde hair was in a curly updo. Around her neck was the star necklace she'd found. In her left hand she had a red venitian mask with a silver handle that every once in a while would cover her face. Hunter had on an elegant Victorian suit on with a white tie. The song _Masquerade _played in the background as they danced together, enjoying each other's embrace.

They had been flirting for a while now and planned to start dating but their schedules just never allowed the time. The clock struck midnight. Melinda leaned into Hunter and put her red stained lips near his ear, whispering; "Follow me." She brought her mask to her face and made her way through the crowd, with a curious Hunter following closely behind her.

"Lovely party, Melinda." A woman dressed as a peacock said elegantly to her with a smile. Melinda nodded and smiled towards her. As they came to the stairs, she picked up the hem of her gown and made her way to her bedroom. Hunter followed her into the bedroom. She shut the door quietly and walked to the window, Hunter stood in the middle of the lavish bedroom as Melinda walked over towards the balcony doors and opened them both, letting a gush of wind come swirling in, causing the curtains to blow about. She quietly walked onto the white balcony and set her arms onto the rail and looked out into the forest. Hunter came behind her and looked over her shoulder.

"You don't like working here, do you?" Melinda asked smugly. She could tell from the moment they started flirting that he wanted a relationship, but of course he couldn't. She was a lady of the house and he was still a servant.

"What do'ya mean?" He said tilting his head a little to the right, furrowing his eyebrows. "Of course I do."

"You're fired." She said bluntly, turning around and looking at him.

"But, I need this job, I can't just live on the str-" He protested. She held up her hand and shut her eyes to stop him.

"You're fired. But you may live here...if that's OK." She said putting a little smile on her face. He looked at her blankly.

"Is this in effect immediately?" He mumbled, staring at her. She nodded her head to say yes but before she could say anything he grabbed her and smashed his lips into hers.

* * *

Clara moved through the crowd to the back of the ballroom before slipping outside. She let out a sigh of relief. She never really liked crowded places and preferred to be in more open spaces with a few people or even by herself. She walked to the railing of the balcony and crossed her arms before leaning on the cool metal. She looked down at the lake; seeing the moons reflection she looked up. She let out another sigh and closed her eyes as a breeze blew her hair back. She was enjoying the quiet sounds of the night when a deep voice whispered in her head.

"_You cannot hide. I see you_." Clara's eyes snapped open and she looked out at the forest. She could've sworn it'd come from there. When she didn't see anything she backed away from the railing with a frown. Hugging herself loosely she took another step back before heading back inside.

* * *

Melinda whipped around and looked towards the balcony, she'd heard the voice too but, she had shut the doors. Melinda looked at the woods with a horrified expression. She clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes towards the woods.

"I am not dressed for this shit!" Melinda growled as she picked up the train of her gown and stormed out.

"Wait!" Hunter called after her. "What are you doing, Melinda? What's upset you?" She waved him off and he followed her.

"Don't play, you know you heard it." Melinda snapped as she began to walk down the corridor. Hunter followed after her. "I'm going to check it out." She called out. As Melinda stomped down the stairs the butlers opened the main doors that led out to the back woods.

"Umm, Madam, Perhaps you shouldn't go out at this time of night?" One of them said. Melinda blew them off and continued to walk outside. The cool October air hit her like a brick.

"Jesus, it's cold." She complained. Hunter ran down the stairs.

"Melinda, wait!" He yelled for her. He knew the woods but not at night. Something in his gut didn't feel right.

* * *

Clara returned to the party and looked around for her sister. When she couldn't find her, or Hunter, she found Ramsey.

"Have you seen Melinda?" She asked. "Or Hunter?"

"I'm sure they're around, Miss Clara. Don't worry yourself, enjoy the party." He said. Clara let out a sigh but nodded and returned to the guests.

…

This wasn't good; Hunter had followed Melinda into the woods but at some point he'd lost track of her. Even with the moonlight he'd managed to lose sight of that red gown. He called her name but got no response.

Melinda trudge through the woods, she didn't know when but Hunter had fallen behind. She held her gown up as she stepped over sticks and twigs. Suddenly the ground beneath Melinda's feet was gone and she felt herself falling.

"Hunter!" She screamed in terror as everything started to go black and her necklace began to glow.

* * *

Hunter ran towards where he'd heard Melinda scream but found nothing. He called out her name and again received no response. He raced back to the castle and frantically searched the crowds for Clara. He asked almost everyone where she was. When someone finally did point him in the right direction he ran directly into Ramsey.

"Melinda's missing." Hunter said with wide eye. "She ran into the woods. I have to tell Clara."

"Mr. Grey, I do believe you no longer work here. I must ask you to leave." Ramsey said. Hunter's eyebrows came together.

"What? What are you talking about? Melinda-"

"Fired you." Ramsey said. Hunter's eyes narrowed.

"Were you spying on us?!"

"I must ask you to leave."

"If you were, you'd know she told me I could stay here."

"Her word no longer holds any warrant. I must ask you to leave." Ramsey said. Hunter could've sworn he saw a satisfied glint in his eyes. Hunter shook his head slowly and took a step back. Before he could run Ramsey grabbed his arm.

"Clara!" Hunter shouted but someone had turned the music louder. Ramsey smirked as he pulled Hunter from the room.

…

Clara didn't see Melinda for the rest of the night but she didn't see Hunter either so she thought nothing of it. The next morning though when her sister wasn't at breakfast she had slight reason to worry. That was until Ramsey informed her that Melinda had left with a group of female guests.

...

Later that night after Clara had gotten dressed for the next party Clara was wearing the black dress she'd found in the dress room. The one that reached the floor and with the sleeves that stopped at the elbows with had navy blue draping sleeves and a bit of black lace at the top. It wasn't until the guests arrived that Clara realized something was wrong. Normally Melinda would be there to greet her guests, appearances were everything with her. Throughout the party Clara asked if anyone had seen her, when every response was no she went to find Ramsey.

"Have you seen Melinda at all tonight?" Clara asked.

"I'm sure she's around." Ramsey replied. Clara frowned and left the ballroom before taking out her phone. She texted Melinda for the fifth time and called her phone. With no answer she shoved her phone into her pocket and re-entered the ballroom. As she made her way through the crowd she scanned the room. When Clara reached the large window she felt a shiver down her spine.

"_You cannot hide. I see you_."

Clara instinctively looked towards the woods. How had she been able to hear the voice again over the loud music and chattering crowd? She felt a pull, a stronger pull than she had felt when she heard the voice before, pulling her towards the woods.

Clara was never really one to follow gut feelings, especially when they gave her the bad feeling she had about the woods as she neared them. She used the flash of her phone as she entered them. The pull was getting stronger and leading her. The light of her phone shined on something on the ground. She bent to pick it up and her eyes widened. It was an earring Melinda had been wearing the night before. She called out her sister's name but before she could listen for a response the ground fell from beneath her and she was plunged into darkness.

* * *

**So from here on it's Clara's story. If you want to read Melinda's story it's a separate story called "When Darkness Falls Your Heart Will Be True". Both titles are lyrics from the song May it Be. **


	5. Chapter 4

**New Disclaimer since this story is no longer being co-written **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, its characters, plot or anything else to do with it. I own my OC Clara. I also own any other OCs, changes and anything else I added. **

* * *

Frodo Baggins, book in hand, walked through the forest about half a mile from Hobbiton. He was about to sit down to relax against a tree when he noticed something black on the deep green grass a few yards away. He placed his book down and slowly made his way over. As he got closer he realized it was a woman in a black dress lying in the grass on her side. Her light brown hair was covering her face as it fanned out around her. Frodo's eyes widened and he quickly went over to her.

"Miss?" He asked as he kneeled in front of her. He could see her back slowly rising and falling assuring him she was alive. He slowly reached down and moved her hair from her face slowly, brushing it behind her ear. "Miss?" He asked. The woman didn't stir. "Miss, are you alright?" He gently shook her shoulder. She began to stir and her eyes fluttered open slowly. Blue met blue and both of their eyes widened. Clara sat up suddenly with a yelp of surprise. Frodo fell back in surprise at her outburst. Clara crawled back as best she could in her dress, breathing heavily.

"Where-? How-?" She breathed. She looked around with wide eyes before her eyes landed on the hobbit. Frodo blinked from his spot on the ground.

"A-Are you alright?" He asked.

"You-you're…." She pointed at him and struggled to find a word. "S-small." She said bluntly. Frodo blinked again.

"That _is_ to be expected for a hobbit." he said with a slight chuckle. He stood up and walked up to her with a polite smile. "Are you alright?" He asked with genuine concern. Clara swallowed.

"Where am I?" She asked in a small voice.

"The Shire." Frodo said simply.

"The what-?" Clara's eyebrows came together in confusion. "A-And what's a hobbit?"

"The Shire." Frodo said with a small frown. "And _I'm_ a hobbit." He said putting a hand to his chest. "I'm Frodo Baggins." He said with a smile.

"Clara Kingsley." Clara said before looking around. She suddenly stood and Frodo took a few steps back. "Melinda?!" She looked around frantically before looking down at Frodo. "Did you find another girl? She's blond and… last I saw her she was wearing a red dress."

"I'm afraid you're the only one I've found." He said shaking his head.

"She has to be nearby." Clara said before walking around Frodo. "Melinda? Mel!" She called as she walked around. "Mel..." She breathed.

"Who is this girl you're looking for?" Frodo asked.

"My sister...oh and Hunter fell too." Clara muttered biting her bottom lip. She turned to Frodo who was watching her, concerned. "Where is this Shire?" She asked. Frodo pointed to the left.

"Not far from here." He said shaking his head.

"No no I mean... what city are we in."

"We're not in any city, miss."

"Can you... Um.." She looked around. "Can you point me to the nearest phone or gas station." Frodo looked adorably confused.

"A what?" He blinked as he tilted his head to the side.

"Can you get me out of the woods?" Clara asked biting her bottom lip again.

"Of course." Frodo smiled comfortingly before motioning her to follow him. "My uncle Bilbo has maps, I'm sure he could help you."

"Bilbo?" Clara muttered. "Such strange names." Frodo looked back at her, his smile still on his face.

"Clara is a rather strange name." He said. "But it is a pretty one." he added with a smile.

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins." Giving a small, but weak, smile back.

"Just call me Frodo." He told her. Clara nodded.

…

"They're all staring at me." Clara said quietly to Frodo, hugging herself, as they walked down a dirt road and past other hobbits.

"Well, humans normally don't come here. For many of them it's a first." Frodo said with a shrug, not admitting that for himself it was a first. "But don't mind them. We're almost there." Clara swallowed.

"Thank gods. I stick out like a sore thumb." Frodo chuckled slightly and gave Clara a reassuring look when he noticed her frown. She gave him a small grateful smile back.

The two walked through the Shire till they reached Bag End. Frodo opened the door and Clara slowly ducked down and followed him inside. Frodo told Clara to wait there then called for his uncle and walked down a hallway.

"Here, here!" Clara heard an older, yet equally short, man shout before said man turned the corner from the kitchen. He noticed Clara and blinked. Her face flushed as she stood there awkwardly. Frodo came back and walked up to the man.

"Bilbo this is Clara Kingsley. I found her out in the woods. She's lost and looking for her sister." Frodo explained.

"Her sister?" Bilbo frowned and walked over to Clara. "Well come in, come in, dear girl." He said motioning for her to come through the study into the kitchen. Clara hesitantly walked over, bent over to avoid bumping her head, and entered the kitchen. "Sit sit. Don't worry the chairs are sturdy." Bilbo said motioning to the dining table. Clara slowly sat in a chair and swallowed. "Would you like some tea, cheese?" He asked. Clara shook her head.

"N-no thank you."

"You act as though you've never seen a hobbit."

"I-I haven't."

"Nor heard of them?" Bilbo asked. Clara shook her head looking between the two Baggins'. Frodo had sat down at the table across from her while Bilbo stood. "Hmm…" Bilbo hummed before smiling slightly. "That reminds me of a elf who'd never seen a hobbit til she met me." he said with a chuckle. "Oh but, never mind that." He shook his head.

"To be perfectly honest I don't even know where I am or what happened." Clara said quietly.

"Why don't you start from the beginning? That's always a good place to start." Bilbo said with a smile.

"All I remember is walking through the woods. I had heard a voice or… I don't know what. I found my sister's earring and then… I remember falling then black. And then the next thing I know I being woken by Frodo." Clara said. Bilbo frowned in thought.

"Hmm... Very strange. Where were you before these events happened?"

"At the estate our grandmother left for us in Holmes Chapel."

"Where?"

"Holmes Chapel." She received confused looked from both hobbits.

"England." She said. The poor hobbits looked even more lost. "Europe. _Planet Earth_."

"You mean Middle Earth?" Frodo asked.

"Middle?" Clara shook her head. "No just- just Earth." The hobbits looked at one another. Bilbo looked to have an idea as he held up a finger before walking into the study. There was some shuffling and soon he came back with a map. He placed it in the table in front of Clara.

"Where is this estate located?" He asked. Clara looked at the map utterly bewildered.

"What is this map of?" She asked with a frown.

"Middle Earth." Bilbo said as if it were obvious. Frodo reached over and pointed at a section of the map.

"This is where we are now, the Shire," He moved his finger over an inch. "more specifically Hobbiton."

"I don't recognize _anything_ on this map." Clara said shaking her head. "This... This can't be right." She put a hand over her mouth. "This has got to be some weird… and extremely vivid dream." Clara said as she began to nod slowly. "That's it; I'm simply dreaming." She let out a breathy laugh. "I can wake up whenever I want." She closed her eyes and willed herself to wake up. A moment later she opened them to see the two hobbits blink at her.

"I'm afraid you're quite awake, dear." Bilbo said.

"But.. how? I fell down a hole; I must have hit my head or something otherwise Melinda would be here." The two looked at her sympathetically. "Right?"

"Perhaps your sister ended up elsewhere in Middle Earth." Bilbo suggested. "If you could end up here she could be anywhere." Frodo gave his uncle a look. "But don't fret; I'm sure she's safe wherever she is." Bilbo quickly added with a reassuring smile.

"What am I going to do?" Clara said burying her face in her hands. "I don't know where I am, I've no where to stay, my sister is lost, _I'm_ lost..."

"Why don't you stay here?" Frodo suggested.

"_Where_? This place is so small; I barely fit as it is." Clara said, her voice slightly muffled by her hands. She lifted her head and brushed a hand through her hair, letting out a shaky breath.

"You're only twice our size, you can still fit in the spare room." Frodo said.

"I once had _thirteen_ dwarves in this _small_ house." Bilbo said with a chuckle.

"Dwarves?" Clara said blinking.

"Oh my.." Bilbo said noting her confused expression on her face and the disbelieving tone in her voice. "What, my dear, do you know about Middle Earth?"

"Absolutely nothing but the fact that there are people half my size and apparently dwarves exist." Clara said.

"Well, we are called hobbits, halflings." Bilbo clarified. "And along with dwarves there are elves, orcs, goblins-"

"Wait wait- I'm sorry to interrupt but _orcs_? _Goblins_?" Clara asked.

"And elves." Frodo added with a nod. "Do you not have any where you're from?" Clara shook her head.

"We only have… well humans." Clara said. Frodo looked shocked but a bit amazed. He wanted to know more about the foreign place that Clara had come from.

"Frodo, why don't you set up the guest bedroom while Clara and I talk?" Bilbo suggested. Frodo frowned but nodded before he left the room. Bilbo looked at Clara. "I'm sure you're frightened; you're far from home in a place completely unfamiliar to you." Clara nodded. Bilbo took a kettle from its place hanging over a fire and poured the water into a smaller tea pot. He put the kettle back and pushed a small plate with bread and cheese on it towards Clara. "I want you to know you're welcome here while you look for your sister. Stay as long as you wish."

"Thank you for being so kind to me even though I'm a complete stranger." Clara said.

"It's nice to see a new pretty face." Bilbo said with a smile which made Clara smile back.

* * *

**Well we're finally in middle earth… how am I doing? I have all of this story pretty much done which never happens. **


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings, its characters, plot or anything else to do with it. I own my OC Clara. I also own any other OCs, changes and anything else I added.**

* * *

"I really don't want to be a bother to you two, or anyone else here." Clara said with a frown as she sat at the kitchen table of Bag End with Bilbo and Frodo the next morning after her sudden arrival.

"Nonsense." Bilbo said as he poured tea. "It's a nice change and I'm sure Frodo would love to hear about where you're from." Frodo started smiling.

"After breakfast I was going to head out to the woods where I found you." He said. "If you'd like to come with me we can look for your sister."

"Thank you, Frodo." Clara said with a smile. He smiled back.

…

After eating the two left Bag End and starting walking.

"Good morning, Mr. Frodo." The two looked over to see Samwise Gamgee.

"Morning Sam." Frodo said with a wave and a smile. Sam looked at Clara with a bit of confusion then at Frodo. "This is Clara Kingsley."

"Hello." Clara said with a small wave.

"Clara this is Sam." Frodo said.

"Samwise Gamgee, nice to meet you, Miss Clara." Sam said with a polite smile and a nod. He shifted on his feet.

"She's staying with Bilbo and I." Frodo explained. Sam nodded, even though he looked a bit confused. "She's looking for her sister."

"Oh. Oh well, I'll uh, I'll see you later, Mr. Frodo." Sam said. Frodo nodded and he and Clara continued walking.

…

Frodo and Clara walked through the forest calling out for Melinda. After some time the two sat down against a tree. Clara let out a loud sigh.

"It's obvious she's nowhere near here." She said sadly. "Even if she was she went missing two days ago… at least I think she did since I hadn't seen her yesterday." Frodo frowned looking over at her as she frowned.

"Tell me about where you're from." He said to get her mind off it.

"I'm not sure what to tell." Clara said after a moment. "Your world is much more interesting."

"Tell me anything." Frodo said with a smile.

"Well…" Clara said. "We have tall buildings that go so high we named them skyscrapers." Frodo sat in front of Clara, with his legs crossed, and gave her his full attention. "We have cars, carriages without horses that run on fuel." Frodo's eyes widened and a smile was slowly forming on his face as he heard about these foreign things. "No one uses candles much anymore, we use electricity." Frodo looked confused but nodded. "We have planes, we use them to fly around and get around faster." Frodo looked amazed.

"What's the name of your home?" He asked.

"Well about a month ago my sister and I lived in Quantico, Virginia, a state in America. We moved to England to live in the castle of an estate our grandmother - whom we've never even met - left to us."

"A castle?" Frodo asked with wide eyes.

"She was very rich." Clara said with a nod.

"Are you the princess of this 'England'?"

"Oh no, we're not royalty at all." She let out a small chuckle as she shook her head. "Though my sister likes to think she is." The smile faded from Clara's face.

"I'm sure you'll see her again." Frodo said with a kind smile. Clara managed to give him a small smile in return.

"Thank you, Frodo." She said before she leaned her head back against the tree and closed her eyes.

* * *

Frodo and Clara were walking back to Bag End and were walking past hobbits who were working in the fields. They heard a commotion behind them and looked to see Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took running towards them, each holding a sack.

"Hello Frodo!" Pippin said with a big smile. "Hello..um…" He looked up at Clara and blinked with wide eyes. Frodo smiled.

"Clara Kingsley meet-" He started to say but was cut off.

"Merry Brandybuck." One said with a grin. "and Pippin Took." He nodded to the other hobbit. They looked back to the way they came.

"Nice meeting you, Miss, but we've got to go!" Pippin said with a grin before he and his cousin ran off.

"I can tell they get into a lot of mischief." Clara said with a small giggle. Frodo chuckled with a nod.

"More than you can imagine." Frodo said.

…

The two returned to Bag End and went inside.

"I don't suppose you two have any… human sized clothing do you?" Clara asked Bilbo who was sitting in the study.

"Never really expected human company I'm afraid." Bilbo said.

"Well… you don't happen to have some cloth or fabric, do you? I could make myself something."

"I might have something." Bilbo said as he nodded before he went into another room. He came back with a large white sheet and a brown one. "Could you make something out of these, my dear?"

"They'll do perfectly." Clara said with a nod and a smile.

"Marvelous." Bilbo said with a smile. "I'll get you a needle and some thread." He said after handing her the sheet.

"Thank you."

…

Clara worked on her new articles of clothing for the rest of the day and well into the night before finishing it and falling asleep as the sun rose. Bilbo knocked on her door to wake her. When she didn't respond he cracked the door open. He smiled seeing her asleep with her new clothes folded up like a pillow.

Once Clara had finally woken up she took a quick sponge bath - she couldn't fit in the small tub the hobbits used and there was no way she was bathing in a body of water outside. She changed into her outfit. She used the white sheet to make a blouse like shirt with baggy sleeves that went halfway down her upper arms. With the brown one she made a skirt that went down midcalf, showing her black boots. With the leftover material from brown cloth she made a corset/vest like top to go over the white shirt and used green ribbon, that Bilbo had found later, to lace and tie it in the front. She folded her black gown and held it under her arm before leaving the guest bedroom.

"Finally awake are we?" Bilbo asked with a laugh.

"Good morning. It is still morning, right?" Frodo chuckled.

"It's almost midday. We thought it best to let you sleep." Clara smiled in thanks and he smiled back.

"Finished your new outfit I see." Bilbo said. Clara nodded. "It looks lovely." He said making her beam.

"Thank you, Bilbo. Is there somewhere for me to wash my dress?" She asked. He motioned for her to hand it to him.

"I'll have it washed for you."

"I couldn't ask you to do that for me." Clara said shaking her head.

"Then don't." He said with a smile. "You're my guest." He said taking the folded dress. "Now sit and eat something." He said motioning to the table. "It's almost time for elevenses." Clara smiled as she sat down.

"Elevenses?" Clara asked as Bilbo left the room. Frodo chuckled.

"Uh, hobbits eat six meals a day." He explained. "Breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper."

"That was seven."

"Well afternoon tea is just in the middle." Frodo said with a chuckle.

"I normally only have three meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper." Clara said. "Some people skip one or two sometimes." Frodo blinked.

"They skip one or two out of three?"

"Yeah, it's not healthy but people either don't have time or they want to lose weight."

"Did you skip them?"

"Back in Quantico I used to work at a coffee shop in the mornings and a diner at night so I would grab a quick bite to eat for breakfast and I would sometimes have to skip lunch if I was busy during the day."

"Coffee?" Frodo asked. "What's coffee?" Clara looked at him and saw his curiosity sparkle in his eyes making her smile.

"Um, it's a drink that gives people energy. It has caffeine in it. It's pretty bitter without milk or sugar in it but some people like it that way." Clara said with a shrug.

"What other drinks are there in your world?"

"Well we have beer." Frodo nodded. "Wines and other alcoholic drinks. There's soda which has sugar and caffeine and comes in a lot of flavors like fruits. Then there are normal fruit drinks, apple juice, apple cider, grape juice, etc." Frodo nodded. Bilbo came back into the kitchen and clapped his hands together.

"Alright, who's hungry?" He asked with a smile. He began to get the food ready. "Oh, Clara." Bilbo said turning to look at her. "At the end of the next week it'll be my 111th birthday." Clara's eyes widened. "There'll be a party, you're invited."

"You've known me not even three days yet." Clara said confused.

"And in that time I've learned you're a lovely young woman." Bilbo said. "I want you to come." He said with a smile. Clara smiled.

"Okay. Thank you." Bilbo nodded and went back to getting the food. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, how long do hobbits normally live?"

"Well, the normal life expectancy is around 100 years."

"Well, I have to say, Bilbo you look good for 111." Clara said with a smile. Bilbo chuckled.

"Thank you my dear." Bilbo put some plates of food on the table. "It will also be Frodo's birthday." Bilbo said. Frodo smiled shyly.

"How old are you going to be?" Clara asked with a smile.

"He's going to be coming of age." Bilbo said with a fond smile.

"18?" Clara asked raising her eyebrows.

"No no." Bilbo said with a laugh. "33." Clara blinked.

"You're 32?" Clara asked Frodo. He nodded. "I-I thought you were younger. I feel really young now." Clara said with a frown.

"Why, how old are you?"

"_Frodo_." Bilbo scolded. "You don't ask a lady her age."

"Sorry." Frodo said quickly with a sheepish smile.

"No it's alright." Clara said with a smile. "I'm 24. My sister is 22." Bilbo nodded.

"You will come to the party, yes?" Bilbo asked.

"It's not like I have other plans." Clara said with a giggle. "Of course I'll come. You've both been so kind to me, a complete stranger."

"Well you're not a stranger now, now are you?" Bilbo asked with a smile. Clara felt a warm feeling in her chest.

* * *

Frodo, eating an apple, walked out of Bag End and picked up the mail from the mailbox. He returned inside and gave the mail to Bilbo who was in his study. Bilbo, who was laughing as he wrote in his book, quickly quieted down as Frodo approached him.

"Thank you." Bilbo said. Frodo picked up a sketch of a young Bilbo.

"What's this?" He asked. Bilbo grabbed back the picture.

"That is private. Keep your sticky paws off." Frodo looked at the book and Bilbo closed it. "It's not ready yet." Bilbo said putting his book away.

"Not ready for what?" Frodo asked as he walked away into the hall to see Bilbo's open trunk.

"Reading." Frodo picked up and examined some old object of Bilbo's. Bilbo examined the pile of letters. "What on earth are these?" He asked.

"Replies to the party invitations." Frodo said.

"Oh! Good gracious! Is it today?" Bilbo asked with a grin.

"They all said they're coming. Except for the Sackville-Bagginses; they're demanding you ask them in person." Frodo said.

"Well they don't seem like a friendly lot." Clara said ducking slightly to enter the room.

"Are they, indeed? Over my dead body." Bilbo said.

"They'd probably find that quite agreeable!"

"I take it back, they seem like a horrible lot." Clara said with a frown and Frodo smiled at her.

"They seem to think you have tunnels overflowing with gold." Frodo said to Bilbo.

"It was one small chest, hardly overflowing. And it still smells of troll." Bilbo started to hide his valuables in chests, jars, vases, and other inconspicuous places.

"What on earth are you doing?" Frodo asked.

"Taking precautions. You know, I caught her making off with the silverware once."

"Who?"

"Lobelia Sackville-Baggins." Bilbo said going into the dining room. Frodo and Clara followed. "She had all my spoons stuffed in her pockets. Hah! Dreadful woman; make sure you keep an eye on her after I'm ... when I'm ... when I'm..." Bilbo trailed off. Frodo and Clara frowned.

"When you're...what?" Frodo asked.

"It's nothing. Nothing."Bilbo looked at some papers on the table in the next room.

"You know, some people are beginning to wonder about you, Uncle. They think you're becoming odd."

"Odd? Hmm."

"Unsociable."

"Unsociable? Me? Nonsense. Be a good lad and put that on the gate." Bilbo handed Frodo a sign he'd made; Frodo looked at it dubiously.

"Nope, I don't see why they'd think you unsociable." Clara said after glancing at the sign. Frodo gave her a playful smirk which she returned.

…

Frodo went outside and nailed the sign to the gate of Bag End. It said "NO ADMITTANCE EXCEPT ON PARTY BUSINESS." Bilbo came outside and stretched.

"You think he'll come?" Frodo asked.

"Who?" Bilbo asked.

"Gandalf."

"Ahhh. He wouldn't miss a chance to lit up his whiz-poppers! He'll give us quite a show, you'll see."

"Alright then, I'm off." Frodo said.

"Off to where?" Bilbo asked.

"East Farthing woods. I'm going to surprise him."

"Is Clara going with you?"

"She's supposed to be." Frodo said with a smile. A moment later, Clara came out of Bag End. She smiled sheepishly.

"Well, go on then! You don't want to be late." Bilbo said ushering Clara to follow Frodo who started to run off.

"Frodo, wait for me!" Clara called after him.

"Come on, Clara!" Frodo called back with a laugh.

"Frodo!" Clara whined. Bilbo chuckled as he heard her complain that she should be able to catch up to him. Bilbo sat on a bench outside his door, smoking his pipe; he blew out a large smoke ring which floated into the sky.


End file.
